ZAGREB, Sept 22 (Hina) - The Croatian Social Liberals (HSLS) support the government's stand that the UN tribunal's indictment against General Janko Bobetko should be sent back to The Hague due to procedural reasons, but they also
regard that all Croatian generals are equal, HSLS leader Drazen Budisa said at a news conference on Sunday.
ZAGREB, Sept 22 (Hina) - The Croatian Social Liberals (HSLS)
support the government's stand that the UN tribunal's indictment
against General Janko Bobetko should be sent back to The Hague due
to procedural reasons, but they also regard that all Croatian
generals are equal, HSLS leader Drazen Budisa said at a news
conference on Sunday. #L#
The HSLS has never divided Croatian generals, regardless of where
they come from, and this party also regards that ICTY's indictments
against Generals Ante Gotovina and Rahim Ademi as well as its
indictment against Bobetko are contrary to the Croatian
Constitution.
The HSLS chief criticised the incumbent government for failing to
forward to Gotovina's lawyers documents on which they could build
his defence.
On the other hand, the government, without the parliament's
consent, sent to the Hague-based ICTY huge documentation, Budisa
said claiming that the tribunal had already possessed that
documentation which it had received from other sources.
According to Budisa, the tribunal first obtained the documentation
illegally, but everything was legalised by the Ivica Racan
cabinet's decision to send those papers to The Hague.
The HSLS president reiterated that the Bobetko indictment was in
opposition to the Croatian Constitution and Croatian stands on the
events in the former Yugoslavia as well as contrary to the documents
of the United Nations which founded the Hague-based war crimes
tribunal.
The ICTY's indictment against Bobetko leads to the conclusion that
Croatia was put on the same footing with "Krajina", Croatian areas
which ethnic Serb rebels controlled in early 1990s and in which they
established their self-styled authorities. All of this reflects
the tribunal's political tendencies, Budisa added.
He noted that the Bobetko indictment failed to mention that the
Medak Pocket had been the Serb terrorists' stronghold from which
they had continuously shelled the town of Gospic.
Budisa criticised the government for its inconsistent views in
relation to the tribunal's indictments against Croatian generals,
and his party asked Zagreb to equally treat the indictments against
Gotovina and Ademi and reconsider them, given that, Budisa said,
they were also in opposition to the constitution like the Bobetko
indictment.
(hina) ms